Why are graphics cards so expensive?

[randyannie]

Wow! I asked for advice the other day about building a dedicated gaming pc and I was surprised to see how expensive the graphics cards have become. I mean $450 - $500 bucks, you could build a basic tower for that. I guess it's the 8x AGP technology that is the reason for the price. Oh well, I would pay that much if I could see that it is justified.

Any takers? Thanks, Randy

 

[xkrazy]

that isn't much if your trying to play the lastest games for the next 2 years getting a better vid card is most important and don't forget the AMD processors

 

[randyannie]

yeah what's with the AMD processors? i love them and own them but gamers seem to really believe they're the only way to go.

Why? Randy

 

[xotix]

because of the way that they are designed.

video cards are like having a 2nd computer on an agp bus just to process grapical data. your video card has memory, a bus, a processor everything that a full pc has. so it has alot of work cut out for them because graphics are one of the most complicated objects that have to be rendered by a computer.

do u understand??

 

[randyannie]

I do understand. That was a very good explanation.

Thanks, Randy

 

[ag3]

because of the way that they are designed.

video cards are like having a 2nd computer on an agp bus just to process grapical data. your video card has memory, a bus, a processor everything that a full pc has. so it has alot of work cut out for them because graphics are one of the most complicated objects that have to be rendered by a computer.

do u understand??

Well said, xotix.

 

[ravin]

videocards are also expensive because of supply and demand... the companies know that gamers will buy them because they want the best.. Like me! lol.. I paid $500 for my videocard plus shipping... and I paid 400 for my cpu... and 140 for my mobo.. so on... people who want the best will pay for it...

also these x800 and 6800 videocards are new... so they are going to be expensive to cover the research and publications that went into design and manufacturing of the products

 

[Martin]

List prices at release of high end cards:

Voodoo (6 MB) - $300
Voodoo2 (12 MB) - $300
Voodoo3 (3500) - $200
Voodoo5 (5500) - $300
Voodoo5 (6000) - $600

RIVA TNT - $200
RIVA TNT2 (Ultra) - $200-250
GeForce 256 (SDR) - $300
GeForce2 GTS - $300-400
GeForce2 Ultra - $500
GeForce3 - $500-550
GeForce4 Ti (4600) - $400
GeForce FX 5800 Ultra - $400
GeForce FX 5950 Ultra - $500
GeForce 6800 Ultra - $450-500

Rage Fury MAXX - $300
Radeon 64 MB DDR - $350-400
Radeon 8500 (64 MB) - $300
Radeon 9700 Pro - $400
Radeon 9800 XT - $500
Radeon X800 XT PE - $450

No clear trend is actually visible here. Manufacturing costs, however, are a major factor.

 

[xotix]

thanks and your welcome respectively.

 

[beedubaya]

I paid $425 for a crap graphics card. Just because its expensive doesn't mean its the best. Well, at least I can overclock it enough to get smooth framerates in Doom 3. My advice is, do tons of research before spending that kind of money on a video card. Don't go with something just because others suggest it, study it out and see for yourself what is better before buying.